Former Tibetan political prisoner Golog Jigme meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on July 26, 2018 at the U.S. Department of State, in Washington, D.C. Photo: TPI

President Dr Lobsang Sangay with the Thank You India Souvenir – A Dharmachakra representing the wheel of Universal Truth, at the press conference at Press Club of India on January 18, 2018. Photo: CTA/DIIR/Tenzin Phende

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Bodhgaya, Bihar, India — The spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that we are all subject to negative emotions and need to develop love and compassion because we all want happiness.

The Kalachakra empowerment, organised by the Central Tibetan Administration, attended by top Tibetan officials and spiritual heads, along with 100,000 people from 85 countries, including Tibetans and non-Tibetan devotees. His Holiness the Dalai Lama participated in the preparatory rites for the Kalachakra empowerment again Wednesday morning.

His Holiness reminded the crowd that all 7 billion human beings alive today were born the same way and will die the same way. We are all subject to negative emotions and need to develop love and compassion because we all want happiness. He stressed that whether you have happiness or suffering depends on whether you discipline your mind. This is what differentiates Buddhism from other religious traditions.

He observed that many problems we face in the world today are of our own making because we insist on highlighting divisions of nationality, race, faith, social background and so on. These differences exist, he conceded, but they are of secondary importance. He said we need to cultivate an unbiased sense of compassion, not affected by attachment that is capable of seeing that even our enemy deserves happiness.

"Education these days tends to focus on material goals. We seek sensory gratification in music or good things to look at, taste and touch. We may enjoy watching a game of sport, but once it ends the joy is over. What we really need is happiness that is rooted in the power of the mind. To achieve it we need to understand the workings of the mind and emotions, which we can discover in ancient Indian knowledge. Suffering arises as a result of an unruly mind and one of the ways to tame it is to develop love and compassion."

His Holiness repeated what he often says, that he thinks of himself as just one among 7 billions human beings. He said that to think of yourself as special is to set yourself apart, to create a barrier which will only leave you lonely. On the other hand if you smile, others tend to smile back.

"As a Buddhist monk," His Holiness remarked, "I remember I'm a monk even in my dreams. Practice of the teachings has helped me and I am convinced that if people are sincere about it, they can really benefit from their spiritual practice. Despite philosophical differences all religious traditions convey a common message about the importance of cultivating love and compassion. And in India we find a long-standing tradition of religious traditions living alongside each other in harmony.

"As a Tibetan, although I retired from political affairs in 2011, I'm concerned about keeping Tibet's language, religion and culture alive, as well as protecting the country's natural environment. Today, the Tibetan language is the medium best suited to accurately rendering the nuances of Buddhist philosophy."